System and method for re-covering office chairs

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a one-piece removable slipcover with a seat hood at one end and a back hood at another end for attaching the slipcover to the back and seat of an office chair. A loose drape may be included to provide a more comprehensive covering for the back of the chair. A first tying system may be employed to help better secure the slipcover to an office chair and prevent it from shifting or bunching with use, and to create a more fitted appearance. A second tying system, utilizing a slot integrated or attached to the bottom end of a drape, may also be used for these purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/126,560, filed 28 Feb. 2015.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

At least some embodiments disclosed herein relate, in general, to the field of furniture upholstery and re-covering, including re-upholstery and re-covering systems and methods for office chairs using semi-fitted and unfitted slipcovers.

2. Description of Related Art.

The padded seats and backs of certain furniture designed for sitting, such as office chairs, are typically covered with cloth or other materials that, over time, fade and wear with use, rendering them unsightly and uncomfortable. Some upholstered or covered seating furniture is so inexpensive that the cost to re-upholster or re-cover it can approach or exceed the initial price of a piece itself, yet remain sufficiently expensive to preclude justifying its ready replacement when its original upholstery or coverings become worn, torn, scratched, stained, discolored, or faded.

In addition to being cost-prohibitive in the context of relatively inexpensive seating furniture, existing methods for re-upholstering or re-covering commonly require that a chair be at least partially dismantled so that relevant individual components of the chair—such as a covered seat and back—may be accessed for recovering. This usually involves tacking, stapling, or otherwise affixing a new cloth or other surface material to the seat and back, then re-assembling the chair. Such traditional re-upholstering methods take time and effort, and are not conducive to being carried out in most office workplace environments, including home offices. The typical user of an office chair may not have the know-how, the tools, or the inclination to attempt re-upholstery or to carry it out properly.

Precisely because the original coverings of new chairs can be readily compromised and damaged, slipcovers (also called loose covers), which slip on and off of a chair, can serve to protect original chairs coverings from premature cosmetic damage or wear and tear. Slipcovers can be particularly useful because they may be removed for cleaning, moving, or storage. Additionally, slipcovers may provide a means of aesthetically customizing or personalizing a chair and a more cost-effective way to prolong the life of a chair with only cosmetic damage.

Traditionally, slipcovers were custom-made to be fitted to a particular chair or other piece of furniture, which could also be prohibitively costly. Less expensive generic, semi-fitted or unfitted slipcovers are available for chairs today, but it is difficult to maintain a fitted or tailored look with such slipcovers because typically, they are simply tucked under the back and seat of a chair, allowing the slipcover to shift with use and requiring re-tucking after each use. This is particularly true in the case of slipcovers for mass-produced, relatively inexpensive office chairs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention comprises a one-piece removable slipcover with a seat hood at one end and a back hood at another end for attaching a slipcover to the back and seat of an office chair. In an embodiment, a back hood of a slipcover, to be slipped over the back of an office chair, may integrate a loose drape to provide a more comprehensive covering for the back of the chair. A separate tying system, comprising a tie and a tube through which a tie may be inserted, may be employed in an embodiment to help better secure the slipcover to an office chair and prevent a slipcover from shifting or bunching with use and to create a more fitted appearance. In an embodiment, a drape may include a slot, integrated or attached to the bottom end of a drape, capable of accepting a tie passed through a tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of a slipcover.

FIG. 2 presents a rear isometric view of a slipcover.

FIG. 3 shows a rear isometric view of a slipcover as it might be readied to install on an office chair.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear isometric view of a slipcover after a back hood has been slipped over the back of an office chair.

FIG. 5 is a front isometric view of a slipcover with a back hood slipped over the back of an office chair, a seat hood slipped over the front portion of the seat of an office chair, and excess slipcover material bunched up where the seat and back of an office chair meet, as well as a depiction of a tie passed through a tube, positioned for installation, and a drape with a slot.

FIG. 6 presents a front isometric view of a slipcover after excess slipcover material and a tie within a tube have been pushed through or tucked into a space where the seat and the back of an office chair meet.

FIG. 7 is a bottom isometric view showing the manner in which a tie positioned in a space between the seat and the back of an office chair may be secured to a post or base of an office chair.

FIG. 8 illustrates a rear isometric view of a slipcover and a drape with a slot at the bottom end of the drape to accept a tie within a tube.

FIG. 9 illustrates the manner in which a tie passing through a slot at the bottom end of a drape may be secured to a post or base of an office chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding; however, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description. References to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in the present disclosure are not necessarily references to the same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “a particular embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase in one embodiment' or substantially similar phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments.

Various embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein are calculated to help better secure a slipcover to an office chair and prevent a slipcover from shifting or bunching with use and to create and maintain a more fitted appearance when a slipcover is installed on an office chair.

An embodiment of the present invention comprises a one-piece removable slipcover 101 with a seat hood 102 at one end and a back hood 103 at another end for attaching a slipcover 101 to the back and seat of an office chair 301. In an embodiment, a back hood 103 of a slipcover 101, to be slipped over the back of an office chair 301, may integrate a loose drape 104 to provide a more comprehensive covering for the back of the chair. A tying system 503 comprises a tie 501 and a tube 502—a long hollow cylinder—of a length shorter than the tie 501, through which tube 502 the tie 501 may be inserted and passed. Such a tying system 503 may be employed in an embodiment to help better secure a slipcover 101 to an office chair 301 and prevent the slipcover 101 from shifting or bunching with use, as well as to create and maintain a more fitted appearance for the slipcover 101 installed on an office chair 301 than may be possible using a tie 501 alone. In an embodiment, a drape 104 may include a slot 105, integrated or attached to the bottom end of a drape 104, capable of accepting a tie 501 passed through a tube 502.

In an embodiment, a slipcover 101 and any tie 501 therefor may be constructed from textiles such as cloth, or from leather, Naugahyde (pleather), or like materials. A tie 501 may also be fashioned from metal chain or other flexible non-textile materials. If constructed of certain materials such as cloth, a slipcover 101 and tie 501 may be machine washable.

In an embodiment, a tube 502 may be constructed of rigid or semi-rigid materials such as nylon; synthetic or natural rubber; polyurethane, polyethylene, PVC, or other plastics; Teflon, stainless steel, or other metals. In an embodiment, the diameter of a tube 502 may be under an inch.

In an embodiment, when used in conjunction with a tie 501 to form a tying system 503, a tube 502 may be positioned centrally in the space between a seat and a back of an office chair 301, and may be of a length smaller than the lesser of the width of the seat or the width of the back of an office chair 301 so as not to be readily visible or exposed. Similarly, when a tube system 503 is used in conjunction with a slot 105 at the bottom of a drape 104, a tube 502 may be of a length less than the length of the slot 105 so as not be readily visible or exposed when placed fully into and centered in a slot 105, with only either end of the corresponding tie 501 visible from either end of a slot 105. For many office chairs, a tube 502 of approximately one foot in length will suffice.

In a particular embodiment herein illustrated, FIG. 1 reflects the front of a slipcover 101 with a contiguous smooth surface that comes into direct contact with the person seated in a desk chair 301 on which the slipcover 101 has been installed.

In FIG. 2, the rear view of a slipcover 101 in the illustrated embodiment reveals a seat hood 102 and a back hood 103 formed at the ends of the slipcover 101. Also depicted in the embodiment in FIG. 2 is a drape 104, which may or may not be an extension of the back hood 104, to cover the back of an office chair 301.

FIG. 3 presents an embodiment in which a slipcover 101 is positioned to install on a desk chair 301. To install a slipcover 101 on a desk chair 301 in the illustrated embodiment, a back hood 103 is slipped over the back of a desk chair 101 and a seat hood 102 is slipped over the seat of a desk chair 301, in no particular order.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a slipcover 101 after a back hood 103 has been slipped over the back of a desk chair 301. FIG. 5 reflects an embodiment in which a slipcover 101 with a back hood 103 has been slipped over the back and a seat hood 102 over the seat of an office chair 301, and excess slipcover material bunched where the back and the seat of the desk chair 101 meet. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a tying system 503 comprising a tie 501 passing through a tube 502 is positioned for installation on an office chair 301, and a drape 104 with a slot 105 is visible.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a slipcover 101 after excess slipcover material has been pushed through a space where the seat and the back of an office chair 301 meet, and a tie 501 within a tube 502 then pushed through said space to overlay the slipcover 101 and the tube 502 centrally positioned between the edges of the slipcover 101 leaving either end of the tie 501 accessible. Each of the two ends of a tie 501 in this embodiment will hang loose underneath the office chair 301 at this stage of installation, one such end being visible in FIG. 6.

After a tie system 503 has been so centrally positioned in a space between the seat and the back of an office chair 301, a tie 501 may be fastened to a post or base of an office chair 301, thereby further securing the slipcover 101 to the office chair 301. In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the ends of a tie 102 may be fastened to a post or base of an office chair 301, either independently or in conjunction with one another. In FIG. 7, the ends of a tie 501 are fastened with a simple knot around the post or base of an office chair 301, but various other effective means for fastening a tie 102 to an office chair 301, well understood in the art, are also possible in various embodiments. By way of example, but not limitation, a lock joining two ends of a tie 501 made of chain may be used as fastening means.

In FIG. 8 is depicted an embodiment that includes a slipcover 101 and a drape 104 with a slot 105 at the bottom end of the drape 104 capable of accepting by insertion a tie 501 within a tube 502. In an embodiment, a slot 105 in a drape 104 may created by various means, such as rolling the end of a drape 104 over and sewing it in place, or joining a pre-formed slot 105 at the end of the drape 104 by attachment means well known in the art. Thus, a slot 105 may be integrated into a drape 104 or simply attached thereto.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which two tying systems 503 are employed, a first with its tube 502 centrally positioned in a space between the seat and the back of an office chair 301, and a second used in conjunction with a slot 105 at the bottom end of a drape 104 to create and maintain a more fitted appearance for a drape 104 of a slipcover 101. The tube 502 of the second tying system 503 has been inserted into and is centrally located and hidden within the slot 105 of the drape 104, with the ends of its associated tie 501 extending past either end of said slot 105. In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the ties 501 of each tying system 503 may be fastened to a post or base of an office chair 301 merely by tying the ends of the tie 501 into a simple knot, though as previously indicated, other fastening means well known in the art may be employed to fasten each end of a tie 501 to an office chair 301.

Additional features, not presented in the particular embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, may be incorporated into this and various other embodiments of the invention. These additional features may include one or more pillows for extra comfort. In an embodiment, any said pillow could function to provide lumbar, head, or neck support, and could be sewn into or otherwise integrated into a slipcover 101, or fastened detachably to a slipcover 101 through the use of buttons, clasps, Velcro® or other means well known in the art. 

1. A system for re-covering office chairs comprising: a slipcover comprising a seat hood and a back hood; and a first tying system comprising a tie passing through a tube, said tube shorter than said tie and capable of being centrally positioned between the edges of said slipcover and hidden in a space between the back and seat of an office chair, allowing the ends of said tie to be fastened to an office chair by fastening means.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a drape.
 3. The system of claim 2, in which the drape has a slot capable of accepting a tying system comprising a tie passing through a tube.
 4. The system of claim 3, in which the slot is integrated into the drape.
 5. The system of claim 3, in which the slot is attached to the drape.
 6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a second tying system comprising a tie passing through a tube, said tube shorter than said tie and capable of being centrally positioned and hidden within the slot of the drape, allowing the ends of the said tie to be fastened to an office chair by fastening means.
 7. The system of claim 6, in which the fastening means are a simple knot created from the ends of the tie.
 8. A system for re-covering office chairs comprising: a slipcover comprising a seat hood and a back hood; a first tying system comprising a tie passing through a tube, said tube shorter than said tie and capable of being centrally positioned between the edges of said slipcover in a space between the back and seat of an office chair, allowing the ends of said tie to be fastened to an office chair by fastening means; a drape with a slot capable of accepting a second tying system comprising a tie passing through a tube, said tube shorter than said tie and capable of being centrally positioned and hidden within the slot of the drape, allowing the ends of the said tie to be fastened to an office chair by fastening means.
 9. The system of claim 8, in which the slot is integrated into the drape.
 10. The system of claim 8, in which the slot is attached to the drape.
 11. The system of claim 8, in which the fastening means are a simple knot created from the ends of the tie.
 12. A method for re-covering office chairs, comprising the steps of: slipping a seat hood over the seat of an office chair and a back hood over the back of an office chair in no particular order; pushing excess slipcover material through a space where the seat and the back of an office chair meet; pushing a first tie within a first tube through said space to overlay said slipcover; centrally positioning said tube between the edges of the slipcover, causing the tube to be hidden in said space and leaving either end of said tie accessible; securing either end of said tie to an office chair; placing a second tie within a second tube within a slot in a drape of said slipcover; centrally positioning said second tube between the ends of said slot, causing said second tube to be hidden in said slot and leaving either end of said second tie accessible; securing either end of said second tie to an office chair.
 13. The method of claim 12, in which the first tie is fastened to a post or base of an office chair by means of a simple knot fashioned from either end of said first tie.
 14. The method of claim 12, in which the second tie is fastened to a post or base of an office chair by means of a simple knot fashioned from either end of said second tie. 